Abraham said:
Online shopping is popular because people are lazy, cheap, and greedy.
This is a foolish statement. I shop online for many reasons, none of which are even close to what you list above. First, I know more than anyone about what I want. It seems there is no one on earth with as much interest and motivation about my motor or item and what part(s) I need than me. I do hours of research to know the in and out of what I need to do before even shopping for the parts. I know what tools I need for the job before even buying the parts. What do I need a parts guy for? Some pimply kid that doesn't even know what a torque wrench is for isn't going to do me any good. Or how about the old codger that knows everything but is too grumpy to share it with you because he is making $12 an hour and has for the past 30 years. No thanks! Online I usually pay the same or sometimes even more, but I get better service!! Yes, that's right, I get better service because I am the parts guy now. No one on earth is as good a parts guy as I am myself. Thank god for the internet. I can research the parts, and I can usually Youtube the actual repair or service work to watch someone do it. Finally, most anywhere I go to get parts, I have to order them anyway! So why not do it online if they aren't going to be in stock and I have to get them in the mail! If I order parts at the store, I have to come back to pick them up. What a waste of time when I can just have them shipped to my house.
In my opinion, online shopping has become so popular because finding someone to care about your interests as much as you do is impossible.